The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-12-24

| would not fall down somewhere and freeze
to death, he would go to the dance yet IL
| was better than pining here like wounded
beast The hot oysters salmon, the roasted
turkeys and stacks of sweets, which made a
Christmas night bal-supper at Galagher's,
| held no Inducements for him The lone
man was not hungry. He was only sick
and desolate from The outermost point of
! cuticle to the inneImos5 center of his ex-
| istence Whichever way he looked, behold
| there was chill waste. He did not like
himself He did not exactly know what he
was good for. Very little of what is called
luck ever came his way; and when he went
| out after it, he constantly ran into some
yawnn g gulf Of misfortune
| Il was possible to imagine himself a sue
cessful fellow, busting about with good
natured contempt for all smaller fry But
the probabilities were that his past would
duplicate itself in endless repetitions And
| meanwhile the snow, the wilderness and his
unpeopled cabin were all his portion-all
the present leverage he had upon the re-
| sisting future
| The lone man, his eyes swimming in
| blind taintness, had just sunk fiat upon his
| couch again, when some muffled object
| bumped ag inst his door. He turned his
head to take Indifferent heed of the fact
but not an instant for coniecturing was al
| lowed him. A woman's voice pleading and
| screaming, a woman's hands tumbling and
| pound NC. brought him up to reel and
stagger directly to her.
| He undid the fastenings and she flew in
side Ike deer, Immediately bracing her.
self against the door
| Lock this door quick!" she pleaded
| sNo lock to it," explained Steve, replacing
his seasoned bars in their sockets SCOT to
Der it this way l wasn't old Vanderbilt
when put up this palace Couldn't afford
fancy nj KEEL and iron work.
He sat down sud Ienly on the end of his
| couch.
| snow hide me-" she demanded, letting the
cloak fall off her head and pierc ng him
with the largest, blacklist eyes he had ever
| seen.
| "Ge-whizz!" calculated Steve, bracing
himself up with his hands on the Pc es at
each side of him. "Where C ud [ hide you
in this place? Look up, and there's the
hollor of the roof. Look around, and there's
the logs
whats in the trunk?"
] m ghty little of any thing. When
/ recolect what used to be in that trunk when
first came into the woods, and what amt
| in it now, it makes me feel bad"
The woman threw up the lid and croucbod
inside So gu cHly had her whisking
| dr.pery disappeared that Steve wondered
| if he We're IN one Of his walking dreams,
which OF summer nights sometimes lured
him out of his cabin into the woods She
kept the lid a moment raised to whisper
| through the opouing:
Don't let him get mech don't let him
get mel"
ANY fellow that would chase any thing
through this snow" observed B rrymore,
muse be keen for 4 hunt You didn'C foot
| it from the station, d your"
She had lowered the trunk lid, but raised
| it again to make a crack through which
she replied:
Il wAded up the mountain, into the
woods, as fast as l could wade. To hide
| somewhere from that man"
What fellow is iG." inquired Steve.
The trunk Id rose again softly, and her
voice Issed through:
at is satan!"
"Pll bet peck of potatoes" said Steve,
"that I'm dream n al this My heads as
light as a feather, and it just blows from
size TO side, PHI put on ano her chunk of
wood and get some light on the subj ,ct"
As he set some roots to blaz ne, tLe,r light
| spread over his face ike a wave of meLri-
ment
This is more fun than going to +he pail,
he murmured Pm hav n Christmas doins
right here to home. Guess III load my
gun-if there's hun.in' tom ght"
| He reach I'd for ms gun-case, took out its
sh ming barrels, which We're polished like
silver, and beg Ii to tit the parts together,
| laying his cartridges ready for insertion.
| The artist part OF the lone mans house
keeping was his care of his gun No mad
| loved her ornaments more, no matron
devoted more on hair looms in sterling
silver than Steve ON his gun HIS lest
, shirts had gone towards rubbing it to its
present high perfection.
As before, there was first mufIled bump
agains. the door and then prolonged rap
ping.
who's there?" cried the lone man The
trun quite closed, as if its inmate pre-
ferred smoGhering to discovery.
THE law of the State of California" re-
turned robust voice.
"Wha5 does the law want?"
"lt wants this door opened"
"The lsws like me-" observed the lone
man q. wants a heap of things it don't
get"
There's woman in this cabin"
First time one ever saw the inside of 1t,
then"
II saw the door opened"
Yes / Often look out 10 see what time
o night it is, " sa d Sieve.
open and let me in" commanded his be-
slegsr. Pm not here to parley"
"lf you ainC got any errand, you better
put out again" suggested the lone man
Ibis is my cabin and my claim. l hain't
sent out any cards amt TO home"
The outsider uttered some resounding
sentences. When these settled TO the level
of threatening they poinred out such dan
gers as tn TO lowing:
why, l can kick your miserable door
down l can knock the chinking ont of the
walls and shoot You through the cracks /
c,n get on your roof and stamp it through"
May bs you couli build bett IT house
thnn I've go5,' said Steve with sarcasm
You don't know what you're doing. And
you don't want to get mo trouble with Il
man like me have the law on my side l
want my wife ont OF this cabin and Pm
20 ng tu have her out"
@Nice husband you mist be, Mr.. Law"
said the lone man, :" to be out with gun
tracking your wife through the snow like
as ii che was "a rabbit"
At this the outsider set his heel m Chilly
against the door The wooden bars held it;
bu st We saw them with the repeated Kicks